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An open letter from the President of Brethren Benefit Trust

By BBT Staff on February 8, 2016

A first-quarter greeting to our members and clients from the PresidentFrom a market standpoint, one word that might describe the beginning of 2016 is rocky. This can be blamed on everything from China's economy to plummeting oil prices, to the upcoming presidential election. If you are watching the headlines, you may be feeling anxious about your investments, and how this market and financial volatility going on worldwide might affect you. It's normal to feel this way.

Keep thinking long term when it comes to your investmentsBBT developed investment options with a long-term view in mind, and we believe you should continue thinking long term. Each January we meet with our investment managers, and we have just completed these meetings. They, too, are certainly feeling the effects of global volatility, but join us in believing that a well-balanced portfolio is still a safe place for investments. You can be assured that our investment managers are watching these things closely, we are watching our investment managers closely, and we encourage you to watch the market closely too.

As I stated in my open letter last August after the first big correction in 2015, volatility is what drives growth, which means volatility over the long term is not a bad thing for your investments. We urge you to establish your organization's long-term goals and tolerance for risk, to select an asset allocation model from the funds available to you, and then stay the course, remembering that this recent meandering by the markets is just what the markets always do.

As always, if you have questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to drop me a line at ndulabaum@cobbt.org or give me a call at 847-622-3388.